Yu Minglang wasn’t soone who enjoyed listening to music, but on the way back, he still turned on the car stereo, played so soothing light music, turned off the air conditioning, and rolled down the windows to let the wind blow in.
The sumr evening breeze was just right, not too hot, carrying a bit of coolness as it naturally brushed past. Why did this feeling remind him so much of Chen Xiaoqian?
Unpretentious and straightforward, if soone crossed her, she wouldn’t accommodate them.
Perfectly refreshing, too much would be domineering, too little would be cowardice, no more, no less, just right.
Turns out, in this world, there really is a woman who is just right like this. Whatever she does, he feels inexplicably content watching her.
Yu Minglang’s fingers tapped on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the music, and when he passed the porridge shop where she once washed her hands, he suddenly hit the brakes.
With work keeping him busy, who knows how long it would be before he could co out again.
The doctor had ntioned that the compulsive hand-washing disorder would lessen if soone accompanied and cared for her.
Just when Qian wanted to wash her hands, Yu Minglang stood behind her, and her attention was quickly diverted.
But... what if he wasn’t there?
This question bewildered Yu Minglang.
Ti, companionship, these were things he couldn’t give to Qian.
His fingers tapped anxiously twice, and suddenly, Yu Minglang’s eyes lit up. He slapped the steering wheel and changed the car’s direction.
In the suburbs of Q City, there’s a decent-sized antique street, but at this hour, all the shops are closed. Yu Minglang drove to a residential complex behind the street, which his elder brother Yu Mingli had developed. The environnt was quiet, and at night, the entrance doors of the buildings were locked. Without a key, you couldn’t enter.
Yu Minglang looked up, checked the location, just the fourth floor, no big deal.
He stretched his wrists a bit and climbed up floor by floor along the concrete platform and protective net. Forty seconds later, Yu Minglang had successfully reached the fourth floor, hanging with one hand from the concrete platform and knocking on the window with the other hand.
Qi Yue was sitting cross-legged on his mahogany sofa, holding two ornantal walnuts, listening to Kunqu opera. Just when he heard the part from "Single Blade eting," excitedly humming along for a couple of lines.
"A true gentleman dares all," he thought, just like this eting, what a—Aiyo!" Almost startled out of his wits.
The two walnuts in his hands fell out from fright, this little tyrant Yu Laomao was terrifying!
Qi Yue hurried over and opened the window, Yu Minglang nimbly jumped in from outside.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Couldn’t you just call and let co down and open the door for you?"
"Uncle, calling takes too long." Yu Minglang walked straight over to the sofa; this was his uncle’s house.
His uncle was in the jade business, not far in age from his big brother, though he ranked higher in family hierarchy. He got along well with Yu Minglang, with even similar tastes in furniture; the set of mahogany sofas at Yu Minglang’s ho was an antique his uncle had acquired.
Right, the sofa, the sofa needs to be changed, the girl said it’s hard and uncomfortable to sit on.
"Two minutes on the call, and I would have co down. If you slipped from the fourth floor, your mom would have burned down my place." His uncle had been close with his elder sister since childhood, with a significant age gap between them, lived with the Yu Family since young, and when brother-in-law educated the kids, he would also educate the uncle along the way.
Because of this, when his uncle grew up, he was eager to escape that terrifying place; such strict closed managent was sothing not everyone could withstand.
"I climbed it myself, 40 seconds is enough. If my clothes weren’t a bit restrictive, 25 seconds would have sufficed." These were part of Yu Minglang’s training exercises back in the day.
"Stop bragging, tell , what brought you here in the middle of the night?"
"Uncle, have you had any new finds lately? I want to make a ring, the best jade." As Yu Minglang spoke, his uncle imdiately stood up, took out a palm-sized stone from the safe, opened a window, and excitedly shone a flashlight on it for Yu Minglang to see.
"I went to the border and gambled on this, bought the raw stone cheap, it’s definitely going to skyrocket, I couldn’t bear to open it all, just cut a window. Look, even without polishing, the luster is this good, it’s definitely going to have green veins."
Those in the jade business get thrilled when they find a treasure; his uncle considered Minglang a kindred spirit. The rest of the Yu Family mbers didn’t appreciate it, all too stiff, but Minglang understood it well, exchanging opinions with him now and then.
Yu Minglang looked at the raw stone, gestured over it, and nodded, it was indeed nice.
"Actually, I’m also torn, would it be better to make a plaque or maybe a set of parent-child clasps? The best would be a bracelet, but such a small bracelet diater, and such good quality material, I’m afraid it won’t sell."
Those who play with jade aren’t usually too young; such a small-diater bracelet, young won can’t afford it, and those who can afford it can’t wear it. What a pity.
Yu Minglang’s eyes lit up; this is good, this is perfect!
With a serious expression, he asked his uncle.
"Uncle, if I give a girl a ring right away, isn’t it a bit forward?"
He initially wanted to make a jade ring for Qian to wear on her hand, so that even when he wasn’t around, if Qian wanted to wash her hands, she’d see the ring and feel less lonely, maybe alleviating her compulsion to wash hands.
Why not gold, silver, or diamond?
Too cliché.
He always felt that this girl should wear jade, the best jade. They say gold has a price, jade is priceless; he didn’t want to give her sothing with a price tag; his girl should have sothing priceless.
When his uncle heard Yu Minglang ntion this, he sat up straight.
"You have a girlfriend?"
"Mm, just decided." Although self-proclaid, still a boyfriend.
"A... girl?" his uncle asked seriously, and Yu Minglang gave him a strange look.
"Of course!" Why does everyone ask such strange questions when they find out he has soone special?
His uncle put his hands together in a prayer gesture and recited a Buddhist phrase.
"Thank goodness, you finally found soone to wreak havoc on!"
The youngest of the Yu Family, the forr little tyrant, the whole family unanimously thought this guy might stay single forever, with little chance of finding a partner.
Not because Yu Minglang wasn’t outstanding, but because he was too outstanding, and picky with a sharp eye. The family felt he might pick and choose until he left himself with no options.
Who would’ve thought he found soone he cared about, a good thing indeed! His uncle, excited, wanted to grab the phone, feeling this was sothing he must share with his elder sister.
"My mom knows, don’t bother her. Just tell , should I not give a girl a ring?"
"Logically speaking, giving a ring when you just t is a bit... how long have you known each other, what’s the girl do, how old is she?"
"Haven’t known her long, she’s a good girl, don’t worry yourself unduly—Uncle, from childhood till now, I’ve treated you best, I need to think for you, really."
With bright eyes, Yu Minglang, suddenly, an uneasy premonition surfaced in his uncle, this guy... what sneaky plan is he plotting now?
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